Monday, July 17, 2006

Mike Farrell's thoughts on the Gray Situation..


De-committing isn't easy

There's really no good way to do it. I'm talking about de-committing from one school to either open up your recruitment or choose another school. That's the situation that stud cornerback Gary Gray from Columbia (S.C.) Richland Northeast is in. The 5-10, 163-pounder, ranked as the nation's No. 3 cornerback by Rivals.com, committed to Steve Spurrier back in March over Charlie Weis and Notre Dame. However, four months later Gray is having second thoughts.

Gray is smack in the middle of Gamecock Country, and South Carolina has one of the best and most rabid fan bases in the country. Remember, this is a team that sold out all their home games when they went 0-11 in 1999. Since Spurrier was hired, the fan frenzy about South Carolina football has been multiplied by 10.

Gray was the first commitment to Spurrier for the 2007 recruiting class and the biggest catch for the Ole Ball Coach since he arrived in Columbia. Gray, ranked as the No. 26 prospect overall in the nation, had offers from everyone, and losing a local kid with so much upside could have been a disastrous start. Since Gray pledged his allegiance to the Gamecock program, two other top in-state players -- offensive tackle Quentin Richardson and running back Brian Maddox -- have done the same. The three players, along with another local stud in wide receiver Mark Barnes, who is also expected to be a Gamecock commitment eventually, represent a breakthrough year in recruiting talent for Spurrier and his staff.

But it's never that easy.

This past weekend Gray took a trip to South Bend, Ind. with his mother to check out Notre Dame once again. Gray had been there before, his mother had not. Gray chose the Gamecocks over Notre Dame back in March, but is having second thoughts and wanted to re-open the recruiting process. There has been quite a reaction from all sides, as one would imagine.
Gamecock fans feel a bit betrayed and are targeting an assistant coach as the man to blame. As with any fan base, they can't understand why a kid would commit only to change his mind a few months later.

Notre Dame fans are excited and would love to see the Irish land another top prospect and would love to see Steve Spurrier knocked down a notch by their own iconic coach, just because he's Steve Spurrier.

Notre Dame haters are beating their chests about the moral integrity that their schools have and how Weis and company shouldn't recruit a committed player, even if it was the player and his family who wanted to set up the visit.

Oh yeah, and Clemson fans are just giddy watching it all.

So is there anything to the above? There's no proof that anyone is to blame and playing that game doesn't get anyone anywhere. Notre Dame fans get excited about everything and, like most fan bases, don't like Spurrier simply because he's been so successful. Recruiting committed kids, whether the Irish did or didn't or do or don't, is a common practice in college football and there isn't a program in the nation that hasn't done it. Last year there were double-digit major de-commitments and the number seems to rise every year. And finally, Clemson fans love anything that hurts the hated Gamecocks.

And none of this matters to Gray, a 17-year-old kid trying to find the university where he'll feel the most comfortable, the most wanted and where he'll have the most success in football and in the classroom. Gray will now apparently take two official visits and then decide between South Carolina and the Irish. He'll take in the South Carolina-Georgia game on Sept. 9 then head back to South Bend to watch Notre Dame host Michigan the following weekend.

In the meantime, Gary Gray is laying low, avoiding as many phone calls and interview requests as he can and likely hoping that things will die down in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately for Gray, that doesn't seem too likely. He's one of the biggest names in recruiting this year being recruited by two of the biggest names in college coaching. Add is a dash of controversy and you get a recipe that doesn't make for any quiet time until a decision is made, once and for all.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=109114

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